Below you will find all the essential information about our school. This information is particularly useful to parents of children starting at Mandeville.

School sessions

Soft start from 8.40am - 8.50am - All children can arrive in their classrooms from 8.40am when there will be supervised activities available

Morning session: 8.50 - 12.00 for EYFS & KS1 and 8.50 -12.30 for KS2

Afternoon session: 1.00 - 3.20 for EYFS & KS1 and 1.30 - 3.20 for KS2

Organisation of the school day (Y1-Y6)

The school day is organised to comply with the governments requirement to deliver 32.5 hours a week of schooling.

Organisation and Teaching

There are approximately 350 children at Mandeville Primary School, in classes of between 20 and 30 children.

The teaching team can be found here. In addition to class based staff we also benefit from support by specialist assistants, supporting children for whom English is an additional language and children with Special Educational Needs.

The content of the curriculum has been planned by the whole staff.  In the mornings we focus on teaching English and Maths although other subjects may be taught.

In the afternoon learning is organised by themes; children follow a different theme in each year group and this links the learning through all subjects in the curriculum, including science. These themes re changed at the end of each half term. 

In addition, all children take part in Physical Education, Personal, Social & Health Education and Religious Education. In KS2, the children learn Latin.

Class newsletters are sent to parents at the start of each half termly topic, outlining the main areas to be covered and how they can support the children's learning at home.

The teachers within the school work as a team to plan activities and share resources. A range of teaching techniques is used as appropriate; no one teaching method dominates.  The weekly timetable followed by each class is devised by class teachers. Classes are sometimes split for curriculum activities, enabling small group teaching.  The timetables reflect a broad and balanced programme of learning, but prioritises the learning of English, Maths, Science and PSHE as the core curriculum subjects.

All classes are of mixed ability as research shows that this is the most effective way for all to learn.  Learning is well matched to the needs of individual children. Children work in groups, as a whole class and individually to ensure progress and work to the highest standard of attainment. Expectations of the children are high in terms of their attitude towards learning, the quality and quantity of work produced and the effort they make in the classroom.

Communication to parents

Communication between school and parents is very important to us. The weekly newsletter is sent via Arbor every Friday to parents, providing information about forthcoming events, dates, general information and specific problems. This is our primary source of communication and it is so important that parents read them carefully so that they miss anything! Newsletters are also posted on our website here.

Downloading the "Marvellous Me" app to your phone will enable the teacher to send good news and messages directly to parents' phones. Please ask in the office for more information.

Community notices and general leaflets on a variety of matters are displayed in reception. 

Snow and Bad Weather Procedure

Every winter brings the possibility of snow and ice and on a rare occasion we may have to close the school, but we will only close the school if the building and grounds are not safe enough for the children to be in.

An email will be sent to parents as early as possible, usually around 7.30am if we intend to close the school. It will also be posted on our website.

Teachers are prepared to switch to remote learning at very short notice so the children’s learning should not be affected but don't worry, we always leave space in the home school curriculum for playing in the snow!

Teachers will communicate with you via Marvellous Me and the class emails.

Car Parking

In the interest of the safety of the children, the Governors request parents do not drive on to school premises.  Pathways are provided for children to walk safely into the school. Please respect the parking restrictions and our neighbours by parking with consideration and care.

School Security

During the day staff and pupils are protected from intruders by a front entry security system.  Access is by the front door only and all visitors are required to sign in. The gates to the school are locked during the day and all visitors must use the front entrance on Mandeville Drive.

Adults are asked to wait at the front of the school when meeting staff or children during the school day.  Children are not permitted to open the front door to visitors.

Passport Applications

Staff are often asked to sign applications for passports on behalf of children.  This has become increasingly time consuming and may later involve resolving queries with the passport office.  Parents are asked to bear in mind that this is not an entitlement or part of a teacher’s job; it is something teachers do in their own time if they feel it is appropriate.

When signing an application the teacher is confirming that they know the parent not the child, if the teacher has not personally known YOU for the required amount of time please do not ask for a signature.

A £10 contribution to the school is requested for each passport application.